SunRail!

[SunsetLimited01]

While I wouldn't argue against the commonality, which could be a good thing; CRC is dead, but it's rail car is not. A new company has brought out the designs and patents and is preparing to market the DMU's.

That is true the company known as U.S. Railcar. Even though that happened The Agenda on News 13 never mentioned DMUs other than the Colorado Railcar company shutting down they flat out mentioned push-pull, but who knows what we will see in the next 1 1/2 to 2 years

 

[Green Maned Lion]

While I wouldn't argue against the commonality, which could be a good thing; CRC is dead, but it's rail car is not. A new company has brought out the designs and patents and is preparing to market the DMU's.

CRC went out of business for two reasons. One, Rader ran it and he couldn't run a McDonalds located in Times Square in a street level store front gifted to him for free. Two, the car design is crap.

I'm sorry to see it live on. I hope U.S. Railcar takes their brand new carbon steel antique and put it out of our misery.

 

[battalion51]

Governor Crist signed the bill into law yesterday (16th) according to USA Today.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Governor Crist signed the bill into law yesterday (16th) according to USA Today.

Why a Tallahassee resident is citing USA Today on local news I don't know, but from the Tallahassee Democrat (maybe paper's name is why?):

Gov. Crist signs rail bill

"Lawmakers agreed to spend $432 million to buy track from CSX railroad in Central Florida for Orlando's SunRail commuter rail and a link to the Tampa area. They also pledged $13 million to $15 million a year to subsidize Tri-Rail in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties and to create a $60-million-a-year State Rail Enterprise to develop future services."

 

[George Harris]

Here are some statements by CSX:

http://jacksonville.com/interact/blog/abel...d_will_cost_bil

At the end of the article is a comment by a "reader" who trots out all the usual anti-rail arguements. I put reader in quotations because I suspect that it is most likely from someone in one of the dedicated anti-rail organixations that trolls for anything pro-rail so they can disparage it.

 

[battalion51]

Governor Crist signed the bill into law yesterday (16th) according to USA Today.

Why a Tallahassee resident is citing USA Today on local news I don't know, but from the Tallahassee Democrat (maybe paper's name is why?):

Gov. Crist signs rail bill

"Lawmakers agreed to spend $432 million to buy track from CSX railroad in Central Florida for Orlando's SunRail commuter rail and a link to the Tampa area. They also pledged $13 million to $15 million a year to subsidize Tri-Rail in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties and to create a $60-million-a-year State Rail Enterprise to develop future services."

I was in Atlanta and staying at a hotel. Had to do something to kill the time while I waited for Room Service. :lol:

 

[DET63]

Here are some statements by CSX:
http://jacksonville.com/interact/blog/abel...d_will_cost_bil

At the end of the article is a comment by a "reader" who trots out all the usual anti-rail arguements. I put reader in quotations because I suspect that it is most likely from someone in one of the dedicated anti-rail organixations that trolls for anything pro-rail so they can disparage it.

You talking about this?

Submitted by Publius on Fri. 12/18/2009 at 8:34 amBoth [sic] the Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald and Tampa Tribune have, since last week, been asking questions about the potential collusion, and subsequent cover-up of communications between CSX and the FDOT in the development of this idiotic legislation. Here are a few links from those papers that aren't afraid to challenge CSX, and to take a stand for the people of Florida, who are being fleeced by the rail deal:

 

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/dec/13/co-crist-should-veto-runaway-giv...

 

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/12/is-that-a-choochoo-or-a-pancake.h...

 

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/12/fdot-to-dockery-the...

 

Rail options for the state are not a bad thing on their face. But this is just a bad deal for tax payers (overpayment and liability assumption), hammered out for the benefit of the fat cats in the metaphorical back rooms of Florida politics as usual. Time for the Jacksonville media to open their eyes and fairly inform the public of the whole story.

There is a comment following that appears to address some of the issues raised by the poster.

 

[AlanB]

That would be my comment.

 

[George Harris]

When you click on Mr. Publis, you will find comments on five newspaper articles. Three are concerning SunRail, all exactly the same in tone and really close in words to the one we have seen here. the others are two comments on an article about Sarah Palin (very negative to save anyone else the botrher of looking) and one disparging the northeast Florida region that was made on an article having something about woment in Jacksonville in businees or polictics (did not read the article) Now we know.

 

[TransitRider]

Be honest with you, I will not ride or support SunRail, it will be a failure and waste of taxpayers money. I would rather give the money to Amtrak to upgrade the system and make it more effective for State of Florida to run statewide train service. This is the most biggest mistake ever I seen in my life. Sorry.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Be honest with you, I will not ride or support SunRail, it will be a failure and waste of taxpayers money. I would rather give the money to Amtrak to upgrade the system and make it more effective for State of Florida to run statewide train service. This is the most biggest mistake ever I seen in my life. Sorry.

Sunrail is commuter service. You have to start small, and this is small. Frankly, though, I think spending money on transit in Florida in general is a waste of money. The people in that dreary, rotten little state seem to think that the only way to travel is by car. Not that all Floridians think that way. Just most of them. They use 6-lane roads for purposes that, here in central Jersey, 2 lanes would be quite sufficient.

 

[George Harris]

Sunrail is commuter service. You have to start small, and this is small. Frankly, though, I think spending money on transit in Florida in general is a waste of money. The people in that dreary, rotten little state seem to think that the only way to travel is by car. Not that all Floridians think that way. Just most of them. They use 6-lane roads for purposes that, here in central Jersey, 2 lanes would be quite sufficient.

I guess it is a matter of perspective. The tops on my list for "dreary rotten little states" would be 1. New Jersey, 2. New York, and 3. Pennsylvania, at least the eastern part. And some of the things I see in roadwork in New Jersey make me wonder if the people who designed them had ever driven a car, anywhere. The only thing worse than the road conditions in New Jersey, and I mean pavement, alignment, and intersections, would be the signage.

If Florida is so basd, why is it so cluttered up with Yankee retirees? Most of whom vote with enthusiasm against education spending and any of the other of the nromal state services that would be of benefit to anybody under 60.

 

[Hamhock]

If Florida is so bad, why is it so cluttered up with Yankee retirees

Because old people like warm weather.

 

[Rail Freak]

Be honest with you, I will not ride or support SunRail, it will be a failure and waste of taxpayers money. I would rather give the money to Amtrak to upgrade the system and make it more effective for State of Florida to run statewide train service. This is the most biggest mistake ever I seen in my life. Sorry.

Sunrail is commuter service. You have to start small, and this is small. Frankly, though, I think spending money on transit in Florida in general is a waste of money. The people in that dreary, rotten little state seem to think that the only way to travel is by car. Not that all Floridians think that way. Just most of them. They use 6-lane roads for purposes that, here in central Jersey, 2 lanes would be quite sufficient.

If you've ever been to FLA, you would notice all those using the 6 lanes had Jersey Plates!!!

RF :lol:

 

[battalion51]

Yes, the dreary state that's also the tourism capital of the United States. :unsure:

Regardless, you've got to start somewhere. Tri-Rail has had tremendous growth since its simple beginnings back in 89. They are moving tens of thousands of people on a daily basis now, much quicker than you could ever dream of on 95 during rush hour. Every person that gets on the train, is one less person on the road. I don't know about you, but I'm an advocate of train service in places that need it. Orlando is a market that needs it. You may not have service or volume right away like you do in the Northeast markets, but you're in a completely different market and growth stage.

 

[MattW]

Having been in NJ on vacation recently, I can attest to the bad road designs. It seemed like you practically need to be route-certified for those roads the same way train crews are.

Everyone thinks about Florida for its tourist side, but hardly anyone thinks about it for the people who live there. I think this SunRail will succeed quite nicely and will provide much need service up and down the I-4 corridor. I just wish the Georgia legislators were as smart as Florida's...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Having been in NJ on vacation recently, I can attest to the bad road designs. It seemed like you practically need to be route-certified for those roads the same way train crews are.Everyone thinks about Florida for its tourist side, but hardly anyone thinks about it for the people who live there. I think this SunRail will succeed quite nicely and will provide much need service up and down the I-4 corridor. I just wish the Georgia legislators were as smart as Florida's...

In a related story: Austin is a tourist town of note also and yet we have perhaps the worst road system in the US, not to mention that our infamous Redline Light rail is still not running and it's 2010!!! (Have to admit that the roads are clogged with cars from California,Michigan,Ohio etc. :lol: )

The joke down here is that all traffice engineers are Aggies (Texas A&M) so that's their revenge on Austin for the annual whippings the Horns usually inflict on the Farmers!(their other nickname!) Go Horns, drown the tide!!!

 

[gswager]

In a related story: Austin is a tourist town of note also and yet we have perhaps the worst road system in the US, not to mention that our infamous Redline Light rail is still not running and it's 2010!!! (Have to admit that the roads are clogged with cars from California,Michigan,Ohio etc. :lol: )
The joke down here is that all traffice engineers are Aggies (Texas A&M) so that's their revenge on Austin for the annual whippings the Horns usually inflict on the Farmers!(their other nickname!) Go Horns, drown the tide!!!

I drove in Austin about two years ago! It's so curvy, thanks to the hillsides! Thanks goodness that my mind a really good sense of direction!

I followed the tracks, starting at Liberty Hill towards downtown Austin and it's still not running! Go Tech!

 

[SunsetLimited01]

Now the equipment for Sunrail has been announced and could be ordered in July.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...0,1778821.story

 

[battalion51]

I'm glad to see they're using their head and going with the tried and true technology of Bombardier Bi-Levels. I still don't know how I feel about MPIs motors though. I'm a little surprised they're not buying used motors though based on Tri-Rail's history. Of the sixteen motors on their roster only three have been bought new (807-809), everything else was bought used and overhauled.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I disagree heavily. After the structural inadequacy of the Bombardier/Hawker-Siddeley has been graphically proven- TWICE - under Metrolink, I'm surprised people still use them, let alone buy new ones.

 

[MattW]

At the very least, the article could include a real picture of the FrontRunner service rather than a CG rendering.

Also, I'm not sure where they get that "the safety in quiet zones will be dramatically improved" line. From what I've read, quiet zones increase the accident rate by as much as 25%!

As to the issue of electrification, I agree! I wish the entire country could be linked by 25kV 60Hz AC over head catenary. Start a few commuter corridors, then connect them into a regional corridor, then connect to those together and voila! Cross-country electrification.

Electrify the SunRail system, electrify a Jacksonville system, electrify the tracks around Atlanta, then connect Atlanta's wires to Jacksonville's wires and suddenly, you have ATL-ORL electrified intercity service!

 

[battalion51]

I disagree heavily. After the structural inadequacy of the Bombardier/Hawker-Siddeley has been graphically proven- TWICE - under Metrolink, I'm surprised people still use them, let alone buy new ones.

Yeah because running head on into locomotives usually produces very happy results.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The fact of the matter is, in the Chase disaster, the AEM-7 did NOT telescope the first Amfleet. It was a mess. People died. The car was totaled. But its basic integrity withstood the impact. At 110 mph.

In the case of Metrolink, twice locomotives have telescoped into the first car. Because the welds on the Bombardier Bi-Levels split like zippers. Accidents are never pretty, but in this instance, it is the poor design of this car that caused the telescoping and a good portion of the deaths.

 

[George Harris]

The fact of the matter is, in the Chase disaster, the AEM-7 did NOT telescope the first Amfleet. It was a mess. People died. The car was totaled. But its basic integrity withstood the impact. At 110 mph.
In the case of Metrolink, twice locomotives have telescoped into the first car. Because the welds on the Bombardier Bi-Levels split like zippers. Accidents are never pretty, but in this instance, it is the poor design of this car that caused the telescoping and a good portion of the deaths.

If you want to see some truly scarey outcomes of vehicle integrity, or lack thereof, google Eschede derailment or Eschede crash or some such and look at the pictures of coaches turned into kits of parts.